Environmental group still fighting power plant

Preserve Wild Santee, a nonprofit group, has put together a letter signed by politicians and concerned citizens voicing opposition to the Quail Brush power plant proposal.

The Quail Brush Generation Project is a 100 megawatt, natural gas-fired electric power facility being developed to help serve the peak demand and transmission reliability needs of San Diego Gas & Electric. The plant is expected to be situated over 10 acres in Mission Trails Regional Park, north of state Route 52 near West Hills High School, off the Sycamore Landfill Road in San Diego.

Cogentrix Energy, the plant’s developer, expects the plant to begin delivering electric power in mid-2014.

According to Preserve Wild Santee’s Van Collinsworth, various organizations and public officials have signed the letter “because it threatens public health and resources of the San Diego River, including Mission Trails Regional Park.”

Opponents, who have spoken out at city council and school board meetings in the East County, say they are concerned about noise, pollution and decreased value of nearby homes.

“We believe this is a premature decision because environmental and technical studies are not yet complete,” said Lori Ziebart, Quail Brush Project Manager. “The California Energy Commission currently is conducting a rigorous, public science-based review and analysis and will release its findings later this year. The need for quick start energy projects like Quail Brush is more pressing than ever, especially as San Diego faces additional demands for reliable and renewable energy.”

The San Diego Planning Commission will take the next step in the process June 28 and decide whether to investigate if the plant can be located where it is planned, and to initiate changes in local laws to take the area in Mission Trails from an open space designation to an industrial space designation.

The letter is being sent to the Planning Commission, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and the San Diego City Council and California Energy Commission requesting that no exemptions to local regulations be granted.

Signed by prominent public officials, including Congressman Bob Filner and Santee City Council member Vice Chair Jack Dale, the letter also lists almost two dozen groups opposed to the plant, including the California Native Plant Society, San Diego Chapter; the Center for Biological Diversity; the Cleveland National Forest Foundation; San Diego Coastkeeper; the San Diego Energy District Foundation; the Santee Taxpayers Association and Sierra Club, San Diego Chapter.